St Petersburg Pictures

Hi folks

well, here are some photos of St Petersburg. First Is me in front of a defaced picture of Dima Bilan, who sang at Eurovision 2006. Outside the biggest train station in St Petersburg is number two. Inside the Hermitage number three, number four is the Church of the Spilled Blood, and finally the Alexander Monastry.

Back in Tallinn

Hi folks
well last night I arrived back here in Tallinn by bus. I am fair exhausted but and am off to find me a ferry to Helsinki this morning.
Well, I had a great time in St Petersburg. I saw the Hermitage as perviously mentioned, visited the Alexander Monastery, travelled the Metro and saw a few amazing churches. Also I spent a lot of time with my girlfriend who lives in St Petersburg.
The city is so busy, I was quite amazed. I had visited eight years ago and don't remember so many people on the street or fighting to get inside the packed metro system.

I did a side trip to Novgorod, a comparitively serence and calm place where people seemed much happier in general. The streets were so much quieter. I visited the kremlin there, a castle-like fortification housing ancient churches and the monument to the millenium of Russia. Outside flowed a river, with an interesting bridge, and for the first time in daylight hours the sun actually came out in Russia! I was quite amazing.

Yesterday I took the bus back here from St Petersburg, and today I will travel to Helsinki for my half day there. Tomorrow morning this time (8.20am) I will be off to London town!

St Petersburg, Russia

Today I went to the Hermitage St Petersburg. Yes, sorry for not posting for ages but this is my first chance to use the net in a week. Anyways, I have moved from Tallinn to St Petersburg, Russia by bus last Sunday, and on Tuesday move on to Helsinki. Later in the week I should have a chance to post more extensively. It's good!

Tallinn with pictures

Today I have dont some sight seeing around Tallinn. I also had some dumplings for lunch. Up on the hill that overlooks the city is Toompea, where the interesting and impressive Dome and Alexander Nevsky (pipcture) Churches stand. I was allowed inside but not to take photos. The Alexander Nevsky Church is Orthodox, and full of gold and icons. The Dome Church is white, with wooden sheilds lining the walls. Also an impressive organ.

Walking through the Old Town is great, and I think out of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn Tallinn wins the 'Best Old Town of the Baltics' award. Many little streets, Such as the pictured St Catherine's Walk, to walk around for hours and get lost in.

I took a bus out to Pirita where there is the shell of an old monastry. Very few tourists out there, whereas the old town is full of them despite the time of year. On the way back I walked a couple of kilometres to see this Soviet style park decorated gaily with concrete. Into the concrete was the imprint of hands (pictured). Nice place Tallinn...

PHOTS 07 (1)

Here are some photos ive uploaded. It was a slow process. Not sure how they will be laid out. So we have the Vasa Warship and myself from Stockholm, Sweden. St Annes Church Vilnius, the Hill of Crosses Siauliai and Trakai Castle in Lithuania. Daugava River and me in front of the Science Academy, Riga, Latvia. The Kaali Crater and a wet Kurresaare, Saaremma, Estonia. Enjoy!

Tallinn (1)

Today I arrived in sunny Tallinn. The weather was really good today actually, unfortunately yesterday it was pretty crap and rained from sun up to sun down. Then, today as I leave and am on a bus all day there is sunlight. Quite infuriating.

I had my own appartment in Kurresaare, which was brilliant. The owner came in at 3pm to add wood to this large old woodfired heater and the place kept very warm. I relaxed a fair bit, on Tuesday I went to Kaali, a small town 18km from ´Kurressare. There's a large crater there which I thought was reasonably cool. Then I had two hours before the bus back and it turned pretty damned cold. It was hard to keep the blood flowing I tells you!

Yesterday I spent a few hours (well it was raining) in the Kurresaare Castle. Nice enough, but filled with a museum that has little to do with the castle itself. There was one tower open )but you couldn't see outside) and had a small bridge across, with a twenty metre drop below. Then there was the sound of a lion roaring played to frighten the tourists. Consider me frightened!!

Tallinn looks very interesting, and I have two proper days here to explore! Maybe I can get some photos up...

Parnu to Kuressaare

Hi folks
I left Riga yesterday morning on the ten o'clock bus to Parnu, Estonia. Arriving there at one o'clock I soon discovered that the next bus to my destionation, Kuressare on the Estonian island of Saaremaa was not until 6.40pm. So I had an afternoon in Parnu.
It proved to be a nice little town, with an interesting modern art museum full of bs and ps. Well, what would one expect really? I walked down to the beach which, although cloudy and cold, was nice enough. Today I am off to a little village called Kaali where I will see a meterorite crater. how bout they hey?

Riga, Latvia

Hello Folks,
I have moved on to Riga, the Latvian capital where I am staying in a very nice and cheap hotel. Today I saw a very moving museum on the Occupation of Latvia by both the Soviets and Nazis. Yesterday it was raining all day, and i travelled here from Siauliai in Lithuania, near which stands this amazing Hill of Crosses. Thousands and thousands of crosses of all sizes placed on a hill. If i get some time i will have to put some photos up, it really was amazing.

Following Latvia's history to indepenence over the last 100 years was equally as amazing. Riga is a much bigger city than Vilnius, and at the moment colder. The wind outside is enough to freeze my hands... which it nearly did.
What else is there to tell? A few days ago i visited Trakai outside Vilnius, where an old (14th century) castle has been rebuilt. The 1960s reconstruction is not 100% authentic, but it was worth seeing and a nice day trip from Vilnius.
I have another day in Riga before heading out to the Estonian island of Saaremaa.

Vilnius, Lithuania (1)

oK
I have given up trying to think of witty titles for now. I have had a long day filming with Siggi, my friend from Germany. It's been successful though, and the weather was quite nice. cold but plenty of blue sky.
Three large crosses live atop one of the two hills at one end of the Old Town, and they are quite magnificent. There is an old castle on the other hill, offering a good view of the Old Town and the main part of Vilnius.
I flew across on a Fokker 50, a very small passenger plane which has propellers. It was a smooth flight though, and got me safely to this town (very small for a capital) which is very nice all said. Unfortunately I had some ice cream last night which made me very sick, and I am still recovering.

I don't have much else to report, expect that i climbed both aforementioned hills today in the filming efforts. I am also enjoying how much cheaper Lithuania is compared to Sweden. More soon I presume.
Such as I took a boat trip for my final day in Stockholm around the harbour, it went over the spot the Vasa sank. Thankfully there was no repeat performance. Then I checked out the city museum which didnt have a lot on display at the moment, but was free and very interesting.

Swedish Hot Dogs

Hey everyone
still in Sweden here. Everything is pretty much good I guess.
Yesterday I was straight into the site seeing by visiting the Royal Palace. I saw the changing of the guards and then hard a look at the Treasury and a few of the Royal Apartments which are converted into show rooms of a sort.
Stockholm is a very walkable city. Not too big so all is good, although my feet are taking some time to adjust to the new walking boots and are suitably sore after a days walking.
The Swedish Royal Family seem like nice enough people, and their crowns are pretty interesting all told. Some are even the Blue and Yellow of Sweden. Yes, I presume I should have written gold instead of yellow.
But its a friendly city, if rather expensive. Very really, a cheap option for food is the hot dog which one can get for 13 Kronor, about two and a hlaf aussie dollars. Otherwise I am cooking pasta and looking out for a subway else my budget will be up the spout. These hot dogs come in the worlds smallest buns. Its quite amusing really, a long sausage in a tiny roll. No, that was not meant to be rude.

Today I went to the Vasa Museum. In the early 17th century this ship, the Vasa, left Stockholm to fight against the Poles (they were at war at the time funnily enough) and it never got out of Stockholm, sinking before it had hardly moved from the place it was built. In the late 1950s it was pulled from the bottom of the sea, restored and now is the central piece in its own museum. Very nice place, worth a look if youre in town.
Then Skansen is the worlds first and biggest open air museum. Lots of little houses with people playing the roles of people from that time (various periods over the last 300 or 400 years). Saw some nice glass blowing. Also a bit of a zoo contained in this area of which the brown bears were the highlight. One just came up to the glass and walked from one end of the glass to the other and back. And he continued this on and on. Poor thing. But he was so close it was amazing.
So yeah. One more day in Stockholm and I am moving on again, to Lithuania.

Underway

Hi Folks
Everything is coming up in an Asian language here except what I write so I hope that this posts ok.
Well, I left Melbourne this morning at 0.15 and well so far the day has gone 27 hours. That is because Sweden, where I have safely arrived, is eight hours behind Melbourne. I have never done the trip to Europe in one hit before, usually I have stopped in Asia making it much easier, but let me just say I am a little in the twilight zone here.
Malaysian Airlines are great. Great service and their pilots appear to be excellent with two of the best landings I have experienced. I arrived at Kuala Lumpur after the first flight barely alive, the red wine I had had before leaving was not my friend. I collapsed *tired* on a bench and fell asleep. It was around 6am Malaysian time. I woke up and the sun was up and it was 7.58 which was great. The second flight was good too. Views over Afghanistan were just breath taking.
I also slept enough by the time the flight was half over and was generally awake for the second six hours. Arriving in Stockholm things went pretty quickly and smoothely = thay was until I was almost out through customs and I was brought over, randomly chosen out of two entire flights, to have my bags thoroughly checked. Individual items were even xrayed. Well, after all that they found nothing and I was allowed to proceed. And I did, to the ATM machine, which registered a technical fault. I tried another with the same result. Not a good start.

I paid for the bus to the city another way and changed some aussie dollars, and after a 40 minute trip was in the city centre, five minutes walk took me to the very conviniently located City Backpackers. It is ok.... the rooms seem good at least, even if some things are sort of broken.
It is 7.27 here in the evening. In Melbourne it would be 3.27AM the next day. So yes. The twilight zone......

However we are underway!

10 hours and counting

well
i have under ten hours to go
last minute things to do - finish packing and vacuum the apartment. not much else really.
Ive had a bit of a drama trying to find accommodation in Stockholm. I have no idea why in October it was almost impossible to find a hostel bed, but i could book for the 4th and 7th and not the 5th and 6th!
So after calling City Backpackers I have secured a double room for my entire daily budget for those two nights. Obviously said budget will need to be adjusted...

The wonderful land of Mali. Remember? I was on a bus from Bobo Diolousso in Burkina Faso to this country and didn't make it past the outskirts of town? Well, This time I fly in on the 5th of November. There is a lot to see in this amazing country, from the Mosque at Djenne to the Dogon Country.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/mali

And then flying over to Dakar, Senegal. Can I make it this far? Only time will tell. It was my ultimate goal on two past trips. Hopefully I make it there this time! I will try to stick to beaches in Senegal - Dakar, St Louis and a bit of a trip to Thies which is kinda inland and has a tapestry factory.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/senegal

Then I have a brief stop in Casablanca for one day and two nights, a night in London and I fly home!!!
Will I survive?
Will I catch another deadly disease?
Will I get married?
Will I become President of a relatively unknown African Country?

Only time will tell....

Continuing on...

Well it's the last day of September, leaving me with four days to go until I leave just after mignight on Thursday morning. I have come down with a bit of a flu so I'm not the best, and my computer died last Tuesday so that's why it's taken me so long to post again, which leaves my goal of chatting (briefly!) about each place before I jet off in jeopardy.
It seems the week before i go is often filled with pointless dramas, and just increases my trepidation needlessly. And then there's the predicatable plane crash that comes within the last 2-3 weeks. This time a budget airline in Thailand hit the tarmac in a poor way, and few survived. Not something I want to think of really... and yet I do! I must think of better things...

Surely one of the highlights of the trip will be a place i've been to a couple of times before - London. Not a location where I will be doing much siteseeing this time around, instead hopefully it will be a good chance to catch up with friends and have a drink or two.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/england/london

There's a little link for all those keen readers who have never heard of London, Big Ben, the Bridge, Buckingham Palace....
The Globe Theatre and Stratford - Upon - Avon are (one) sidetrip I hope to make this time around. Somehow always missed them previously. SO today I am going to start packing, although I think I have most of the things I need so it's not all that last minute.
Next post I will prepare you for my big return... to WEST AFRICA.

Shaving Helsinki

Finland Finland Finland Finland
The country where I want to be
Pony Trekking or camping
or just watching tv

Hi folks. How are we out there?
I have 20 days to go, less than three weeks. I am a bit on the buggered side and face a hell of a lot of esxtra hours before I fly away. More money I hear you say... Well I wish I saw it that way, but I see myself hopping on the plane rather stressed out like I did last time. So from now on despite my busy nature I am going to try and relax wherever humanly possible. Yes it's a plan.

From St Petersburg and Vyborg I will take the train across to Helsinki, a city I have never seen before. Perhaps I will stay in the famous Stadion Hostel, located strangely enough in a stadium. What Shall I do with three days in Helsinki? I don't really know. Stuff probably. be cold. the usual. hehe

I have my passport back. In fact I got it back three days ago, it took 8 days. Pretty amazing, all the way to Japan, processed and sent off by courier back to me and all in 8 days. And to think getting the Russian visa took 3 weeks and never left australia. CRIKEY!

well
now packing lists need to be and so forth. I bought an electric battery-powered shaver yesterday so one can tell my life is full of excitment right now. Well, I can't for the life of me think why I stuck with the blade on previous trips. Cold water, carrying shaving cream around... what a silly hassle.
yeah yeah

til next time!

Crazy things with Passports

Hiya folks
Just under a month to go. Today I bought some thick socks for the Baltics and Russia.
YES RUSSIA
After Estonia I will be taking a bus along to St Petersburg, where I will be meeting a very special someone. But enough of that.

I ventured to St Petersburg in my first big adventure in 1999. I feel in love with this city. It is truly beautiful. I walked home (to my hostel) from the Metro Nightclub at 3am as snow lightly fell to the ground and it was pretty magical. Perhaps that was just the vodka...
But I never saw one of the world's most impressive buildings, the Winter Palace, aka the Hermitage. This time I will.
The metro there is great too, so many trains and the stations are housed in old bomb shelters with chandeliers. I think Melbourne's loop is a huge disappointment in comparison.

The Mali visa is a curious thing. Earlier in the year the consulate in Western Australia was told it could no longer issue visas. The same went for all consulates worldwide I was told, so only Malian EMBASSIES had the power to do this. That meant that Tokyo was the closest place I can get a visa. Luckily they cater for Australians and with an added fee will post my passport back to me, and process in a day too which is exceptional.
The basic fact is that i posted my passport to Japan on Monday morning, express post, wondering if I would ever see it again. I'll call the embassy on Friday and see if it has been received. I've posted my passport off to a few embassies IN Australia but this is a first.

Hopefully I wont be needing an emergency replacement passport at quick speeds before I go.....

A Shot in the Arm

Today i got a shot at the doctor for Typhoid. It was painless at the time.... now my arm is sore though.

Estonia is the next place I plan on going to after Lativa, making my tour of the Baltic countries complete. The capital Tallin is yet another medieval capital said to be beautiful and full of character, but I also will be making a side trip for a couple of days to the island of Saareema, which is supposed to also be beautiful and also have a meteorite crater making it pretty special.

here's a couple of useful links. I'm tired today and not up to writing much, sorry...


http://www.saaremaa.ee/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/estonia

Sorry if the second one doesnt work the page is down right now you see.....

Exciting Eurovision

From the Baltic lands of Lithuania I will head onwards to the completely different Baltic lands of Latvia.
I first watched the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002, the year that Marie N. won the contest with 'I wanna' for Latvia. Clearly not the best song in the contest (Malta were, as they regualarly are, robbed), this did feature the singer dressed in a suit, taking it off as the song progressed to reveal a stunning red dress underneath. Gimicks and Eurovision really do go hand in hand. Nevertheless, the nest year (2003 if you can't do maths, toughest year of my life) Riga, Latvia's capital, hosted the contest in what was my favourite contest of all. Featuring an out of tune T.a.t.u, Belly dancers and one of the competition's oddest ever performances by Austria'a Alf Poier, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Sadly it's unavailable on DVD.
Have I digressed?
Always.
Nevertheless, this is where I will be headed after Lithuania, just for 3-4 days in Riga which by all accounts is a beautiful city indeed. Maybe a day trip....

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/latvia

there it is, knock yourselves out!
Well, I find myself needing to write up a 'to-do' list because I'm down to six and a half weeks and I feel that I still have a million and one things to do (it's that last 'one' that's a real bugger). I need warm socks, a jacket perhaps and I need to go see a travel doctor about medications and vaccinations.
So much fun fun fun.

Before I sign off today, I'm very happy to hear my friend Graham whom I'm meeting up with for a beer or three in London is safe and well, as he is presently in Peru which was rocked by an earthquake a week ago. Stay safe all travellers out there!

An Ethiopian Distraction

Well
It's August. Suddenly days are flying by and I realise I have to get myself into gear for preparations. So tomorrow I am sending off to the Russian Consulate for my visa for the country of the similar name. Somehow I have found myself thinking of my next trip rather than this one. Have I planned things too much and now I need to think of something else? Perhaps... But I am thinking of Ethiopia and the possibilities that lie therein. I was on my way there as part of my crazy 2004 trip before I changed me mind, not because I decided the place wasn't for me but because I'd been so sick through India and Pakistan I had decided to take it easy (the same reason I didn't go to other parts of Africa).
Anyways, despite all that I suddenly remembered why I wanted to go. Contrary to most people's preconceptions Ethiopia is a green country, not particularly hot with mountains and some of the oldest and most amazing Christian historic sites in the world. Travelling by plane is the most sensible way to do the country it seems as a 200-300km journey on the roads can take two days. Considering I know the quality of African buses already I don't fancy that at all.

And yet this post was supposed to be about Lithuania. I will be flying into Lithuania four days after my Stockholm arrival where I will spend some time in its capital Vilinius and perhaps a place called Klaipeda, out near the coast. There's an amazing area (apparently) called the Curonian Split which Klaipeda lives on and if the weather ain't too bad I might head out there. An old friend I met whilst travelling in Iran in 2004 is going to meet me in Vilnius (his name is Siggi) and we'll tramp around together from Vilinius to probably Riga. Should be a fun week, although I am really starting to think that trips should be started in hot climates on beaches. Well, that's just what i've generally done before. South East Asia is a wonderful stepping stone to Europe from Australia, and this is the first time I've taken a flight straight to Europe without a stop over. (Well, it's stops in Kuala Lumpur for an hour or two, but no proper stop over as it were.)
So it's late and I delayed my bedtime to bring any readers I may have (please is anyone out there?) this little update. Here's a link for Lithuania via my good friends at Lonely Planet. Not that they actually know me at all...

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/lithuania

Soon I need to do some ironing.

Yes... In half an hour or so I need to get into some ironing as there are a lot of unironed shirts in a box at the end of my bed that have been waiting just far too long. And some people wonder why I continue to travel as often as I can.
So the date to fly out of here is the 4th of October. That is just over two months away now. I have been foolishly counting down the days until i depart (67 for those who care) and boy does it make the days go slower. That and at the moment I am afflicted with a fluey-cold thing that refuses to go away. So is it any wonder I just wish to be out of here? Plus working six days a week is really starting to get to me as well. That's to be expected I suppose.

Well, so a little preview. My first stop will be Stockholm, that illustrious capital of Sweden. Ok, perhaps that's not the perfect word. I mean, I was there in 1999 and remember things like the make-shift hostel (in a school) and getting my jacket dry cleaned for a wedding I was going to in Germany. And a wonderful place that served a buffet lunch for a reasonable price.
I was there in Summer and it was 35 degrees most days as they were in the middle of a rare heat wave, I even went swimming one day. The weather will not be so agreeable in October. I am well aware of this but I can't say, living through a Melbourne winter right now, I am as happy about that as I was when I booked my flights at the end of one of the hottest summers Melbourne has ever had. Still, four nights there and the main purpose of that is to counter any jetlag I am sure to experience after 22 hours in flight. Crikey!
I have picked out a hostel:
http://www.fridhemsplan.se/main.asp?lang=eng

It seems to be the best one in Stockholm. The plan is to pay extra money for a single room and really get some quality shut-eye. Also I want to see a couple of things around town, including the Skansen Amusement Park and the Royal Palace, both of which I somehow missed the first time around. Hopefully I can find that eatery too, although I fear that I will again be consigned to cooking for myself. Sweden ain't the cheapest place on Earth folks, in fact your standard dorm bed is at least $35 Australian. Double that for a single. Worth it I suspect for a few good night's sleep.
I'm planning on a little preview for each country I visit like this one. Can't promise anything of course.... but that's another little plan, so watch this space!!!!

MISSION: Dakar or Bust!!!

Time ticks away and things are in motion!!! A new passport is required as I have used too many pages in my old one... so a few days ago i sent that away.
This trip will see me take in many places indeed, and some extremes in weather. From the cold of Scandinavia and the Baltics to the heat of Africa... it's going to be one hell of an adventure. Visas will be an issue, and i will be sending off for a Russian visa when i get my passport comes back. The visa for Mali will be more of a challenge.
It seems that Mali consulates no longer have the power to issue visas, it must be done through an Embassy. Problem: No embassy here in Australia, only a consulate in Perth. I called the 'Consul' to Mali in Melbourne, and confirmed that the place to go to for visas is Tokyo. JAPAN.

Strike me pink Ailsa!

Well, I was sent an application form and it seems actually to be reasonably straight forward. For a fee they will even post it back. I will need to do this around the start of September. It can't be sent too early either - the visa needs to be used within three months.

So now plans begin in earnest. I want to save more so i can afford myself a few luxuries i didn't have last time in Africa (ie nicer hotels etc). I have 96 days until I fly out. so... woo-hoo. The other news is that my friend Paul from the UK is joining me for the Mali section of the trip. I also have Siggi from Germany coming along for Lithuania... and meeting up with someone special in St Petersburg. This won't be the 'solo' sort of trip i've known in the past it seems. Also will have heaps of friends to catch up with in London.

But the ultimate destination is DAKAR, Senegal. This will be the third trip with it on my itinerary, and I desperately hope it is third time lucky for me. Two failed attempts to make it to this city have made it my determined destination. It's my Timbuctu (incredibly ironic as Timbuctu is in Mali where I'm going... not to Timbuctu to though, just Mali). The 2004 trip was entitled 'Dhaka to Dakar'. I failed to give last year a title more than 'The 2006 Trip' but in 2007 it's definately

DAKAR OR BUST!!!!!!

May may may may maybe?

So like
tickets coming along and so is the year. but crikey, its still five months until i leave and it seems like a life time to me. And the world? How is it?

This new apartment I am in is nice. I have space and a comfy room and all the comforts I need. Even wonderful dial-up internet.
Lithuania looks like a very interesting place to visit indeed. I have flights there and out of Helsinki to London. Soon I will get the Africa flights. yipeeeeeeeeeee.
but does anyone care about my travel plans??? maybe...

Here in Melbourne we pray for decent rain and that teams from other states would stop beating Victorian teams at Aussie Rules. Neither are happening.
take care
next time!

... it's a plan

Here we are again. Posting. Sigh.
I have just done the moving thing, into an apartment about 20 minutes drive from where i was. It's nice here. good modern place. Work is having me tired and busy most of the time, and thoughts longingly turn to travel.

So the news is at the moment i have a return airfare to Europe, into Stockholm and out of london over october - november. I will be buying some more tickets soon that will get me to the baltic states. Then probably train to St Petersburg, to Helsinki. Fly to London, off to Africa (Mali and Senegal) and back home in time for tea!
yes well
its a plan

... and every so often comes a post

Hi all
yes
I missed February with no post there. News here is somewhat good though, I have completed the main bulk of my book, that is fourteen chapters. There needs to be an intoduction and probably a conclusion i suspect, but they wont be long and i will then have to go through the lot and edit to complete a first draft. From there I have no idea, i suspect i require a publisher of some sort.
Life here is ok, same old as they say. In February I went to the Flight Centre Travel Expo in Melbourne, where I nutted out different deals and finally decided I would take Malaysian Airlines over to Europe in October. These sort of flights are locked in early because they are so cheap, but I have to be happy because, well, Malaysian Airlines are possibly my favourite airline in the world. Emirates are great too, Thai up there as well. Into Stockholm and out of London, i still have a few flights to organise into the Baltics, over to London and of course the flights to Mali and out of Senegal to London. Whew, it should be quite a trip. Saving is going well, which is important obviously. Not much else to report! take care.

On the road again... briefly

Oh well yes...

I have been travelling. From the 13th to the 17th of January i really did some miles (I would say kilometres but it doesn't have the same ring to it).

Firstly i went to West Gippsland, based around Neerim South. I was with another four people and we were out making a little short film in the area. We stopped off in Noojee for an ordinary lunch in a very nice pub indeed. (although i can't say they liked us all that well) We were a pretty loud city group i guess, but nevertheless it was nice. We filmed under this amazing trestle bridge that one hundred years ago had steam trains rocketing across.

The whole area was not suffering from the drought that had stricken not just most of Victoria, but a lot of Australia too. It has been so dry here it's quite unbelievable. Then again, I have been to Niger.

ANyways

The next day i was off to visit relatives who live on a farm near Wangaratta. As the picture shows you it's far drier up there! Plus there was a lot of smoke from bushfires. Actually with the dry summer here bushfires have been raging a lot, and even in Melbourne we have had days when that smoke has drifted a few hundred kilometres down into our city making for some very eerie days.

Next to Kyabram, where i visited my grandparents and then to more relatives in Bendigo. DOing some filming everywhere i went. Not that much to report, Kyabram is not a major town really, and boy was it hot after the first two days. We are talking 40ish, that's real African weather.

All in all i must have travelled over 900 km in those five days. wowsers. That's a lot of concentrating on the road, believe you me!

Remembering someone met and gone

Hi there.
I have just been searching the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree (the best place on the net for travel advice) and after following a few links was shocked and saddened to find that someone I met whilst travelling had passed away from cerebral malaria back in June last year. Shocking more so because I only realised today in January even though i knew her blog address. How could I have missed this? I am really struggling with that. I must have logged onto her blog and just misread, or gone straight to other posts... It defies belief really. Not very happy with myself right now.

I met Kinga, from Poland, when I was in Ouagadougou, only a couple of days before contracting malaria myself. Kinga was on a long hitchhiking trip through Africa, and did it in such a free way that i felt rather unadventurous. She didn't like to stay in hotels, but stayed with locals whenever possible. She was the true example of the traveller who had thrown away all the restrictions of life and just did what she wanted, how she wanted. The day after i met her i headed to Banfora, she was going to Niger.

Please visit these two sites to learn a little about her, an amazing person indeed:
http://www.kingafreespirit.pl/kingaen/index.php
(her blog)

http://www.digihitch.com/tribute/kinga
(a tribute)

When travelling I have met loads of others doing it there way. Some are more restricted than myself, others far less (like Kinga). Whatever their path, it seems we are all ships in the night, and i rarely no much about those i pass once we part company. So something like this comes as a shock.
'Travelling really does broaden the mind' (TB, circa 1977)

Tikrit? techcrete?

Hey folks....
interesting business sign down the road has it's business name as 'Tech Crete'
i am trying to work out whether it's meant to be a play on words cos i guess if said in a certain way it sounds like 'Tikrit' (pronounced Tikreet) where Saddam Hussein, now no longer with us, was born.


I was just wondering

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and all that

Well, i nearly missed decemeber
thinking very seriously about doing at least Senegal and Mali next year for say 17 days, and completing all that i set out to earlier this year (except for the Burkina crossing, thinking about that)
Hope that everyone had a great christmas. I am two chapters off completing a first draft of my book too!

Obligatory monthly post

Hey one and all.
It is November. I have been posting once a month of late, so here it is. The year is slowly coming to an end, and my travel plans for next year are yet to firm in any way. The book is coming along rather nicely though, I have eleven chapters complete now. I am pretty happy about that!

For the first time since returning home bedragled and malaria-rised, I have had thoughts about returning (someday) to Africa. It is unlikely to be the next trip, but I regret immensely not getting to Dakar, as was the plan. It was the plan in 2004, and the plan in 2006, and it remains unachieved. I for one want to achieve my goal and get there, and that means flying (somehow) back to Ouagadougou and getting through Mali to Senegal so that I can say that i did the whole journey. A more realistic thing to do would be to fly back into fair Accra and make my way to Burkina Faso via Kumasi, a Ghanain town i never reached.

These thoughts are reminiscent of the way I first felt about India in 1999. I left the place sick, bedraggled and so forth after surviving bad bowels for ages, earthquakes and even a car accident on my way to the airport. I swore i was never going back! However, i developed some sort of resolve afterwards and was back there in January 2001, 18 months later. hmmmm... anything could happen.

Time passing, writings, life update. Musings in general

Well it's now mid October, and yet again it's been ages since i posted. What should one post about? Well at the moment I am working busily on a book. This book is an account of my travels in 2004. For those who don't know what I got up to that year, I flew from Melbourne to Malaysia, then on to Dhaka in Bangladesh. From there I made my way overland to Europe. After Europe I had a couple of months in North America before heading home. This was a ten month journey, and I my biggest trip (like, ever!). I always wanted to write a book about it, and since returning home from Africa this year it's something I have really dug into. In fact I hope to have a draft completed by the end of the year, or maybe end of January is more realistic. Perhaps I should post extracts here? What do people think.
Well, life is rolling on otherwise with work and Theatresports. Yes I do Impro with the esteemed company Impro Melbourne, something I have neglected to mention to this point. I think. I mean... sorry but I don't have the will or energy to check previous posts to see if I have or not.
Getting a new job this year and working with people with disabilities has been a challenge, but a good one nonetheless. 2006 has turned out to be a strange year indeed. I feel rather like I am floating at the moment. Nevertheless things are moving on alright.
Here are a couple of pictures from Iran, the chapter I am presently working on. The first is Persepolis, ancient ruins near the town of Shiraz. The second is a bridge and river from the amazing Isfahan, one of the more beautiful cities in the world. Enjoy!

Status Report

September in Melbourne
spring is in the air
work is busy and so am i....
planning on travels next year, the book has ground to a (temporary) halt.
Maybe Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Estonia next year...
well thats a plan in my head
if i cant wait so long
laos and thailand in january
later world

And here is me when i was in Ghana

Burkina Faso Photos

Here are some pics I took in Burkina Faso... 'bout time I published them don't ya think???


Here's a termite mound down in the south... quite an impressive one at that!

Here's some ladies dancing at a cafe in Ouagadougou and having a great time!!!
Here's the trusiest animal around, the ever present mule!!!
Here are two mosques, one in Bobi Diolasso, the other the Grand Mosque in Ouagadougou.

An African Conlusion, A conclusion (Part Five)

This part doesn't really take place in Africa.... hehe

Well, getting through the airport in Paris, Charles De Gaulle, was pretty easy. In Australia, if you have come on a flight from any plce you are under intense scrutiny, in Paris i didn't even need to open the passport. Everyone seemed to be let through without any serious sort of passport examination.
I waited a little while for my baggage, and then I set out to book a flight home and to find a bed for the night. Having only one hours sleep, and still nowhere near 100% fit, i needed some serious rest. I went to find the Emirates office to book a ticket, which took forever to find and in the end was closed. Of course!! So in the end i found a computer terminal and tried to book a flight home for the next day.
Eventually I did, much to my relief, and got a very cheap price too - around 700 EUROS.... thats darn cheap, especially for a flight booked for the next day. Then i hopped a bus to an airport hotel. I should mention that the temperature was about 1 degree celcius, and there was snow falling all around the huge Charles De Gaulle airport. What an incredible contrast to the 40 degrees i had been experiencing only a day before.
I checked into a hotel that was comfortable but well overpriced for the size of the room. Thats airport hotels i guess, and to be expected. I considered taking the metro into Paris but decided i was far too tired. In the end I slept the afternoon, went down for a pretty nice meal, and returned to the room where i fell asleep again for the night.
I awoke to find I had missed breakfast proper and would have to survive on the after 10am breakfast which was basic at best. Still, I had a croissant in France. At the terminal there was a mazzive queue already for the flight to Dubai, and it took an hour to check in, possibly more.
The flight left a few minutes late, and finally I felt like was heading home. I met a very nice girl - Pia, from Brisbane on this flight. At the Dubai airport we both had a few hours to kill, so we spent them singing and reminiscing about the Buffy musical episode.
We parted ways too quicly though :( and I was on my way home. The flight stopped for an hour in Singapore... and felt like it would never end. My stomach developed pain which was not good, and sleep didn't really some. after around 25 hours including stops in airports from paris, i was touching down in good old melbourne.
But it wasn't over... after waiting an age for my baggage, i was then subjected to thorough searches as were most people on the flight. It was now 2.30 am when i got out of the airport. Perhaps the authorities were just bored as it was the only flight in at the time... im not sure...
but home in australia i was....
and three days later back in hospital for tests and observation. The stomach remained bad, anxiety bad too...
but that was back in early march, and life now is on the up. oh i promised pics.... will be up soon i promise you!

Part Four

Oh so it's been a while since i wrote about the end of Africa, I suppose it is time to continue the saga.... the question will be, what will I write about now?? My future plans?? Perhaps i will relate the occasional story from other trips. Then i could post a few photos and the like....
how is everyone anyways??

I returned to a comfortable house in the suburbs of Ouagadougou, where i stayed with a couple doing missionary work in Burkina Faso. It was nice to be staying in a home enviroment for a change, especially in an African setting. I was able to watch dvds and relax, and we visited a restaurant/club exclusively for ex-pats that even had a pool and played English-language movies.
Soon I went into town and organised a flight to Paris that evening, and also found some nice material to take home with me. I returned to the house and tried to organise tickets from Paris to Melbourne with Emirates on the net, but had trouble completing the transaction, so eventually failed.
I had to pack and prepare that afternoon, the flight was due to depart at 11.30pm, getting into Paris in the wee hours of the morning. Pack I did, and soon was ready to leave. I was taken out to dinner with some others my new friends knew (that can't be good English!), and we had my bags in the back of the car and took off for some sort of community with lots of houses inside.
Just when i felt things we're going alright, i tucked into the chicken and suddenly discovered I was eating something with peanuts.
When departing Australia, as I may have mentioned, I was deeply worried about the abundance of peanuts in Africa and in African cooking. But I was there, three hours before flying out, having an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts when I thought I might survive Africa without one at all. We hopped into the car/van and drove straight to the Doctor who was surprised to see me again, that's for sure.

This might be where I'd leave you.... but I am not in the mood for a cliffhanger today.
I was a bit sick from the peanuts, but suddenly felt fine. I was worried that I was staying in Ouagadougou again, but the Doctor said I was free to leave, so we drove to the airport from there where check-in took an inordinate amount of time.
It all seemed to take forever, I missed out on converting back my local currency as the exchange booth closed at 10pm, and then I thought I had lost my phone and my friends left (ever so kindly and without my asking) to look for it. Then I found it and was so embarrassed.
Slowly we moved from one procedure to the next. My passport was checked six times, the plane was going to be full and it seemed to be taking forever.
I spoke to a couple of Air France hostesses taking the flight about all the checks and they told me it was important and gave an example of an Air France jet that was blown up in Chad. This did not help me at all.
Despite being on the more comfortable Airbus it was quire cramped, and I was lucky to get an hour or so's sleep. I woke during turbulence over Algiers, and at 5.30am or so in the morning we descended on Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris...

World Cup fanatics

Well the world cup fever is here in full in Australia. Tomorrow morning they will probably be knocked out.
This world cup debuted a couple of nations i visited in west africa. Togo didnt win a game in the World Cup, but toiled well. Ghana plays Brazil tonight after australia and Italy. So i wish them luck.. but also luck to brazil as i have a couple of friends there!
I remember watching the African Cup of Nations whilst in West Africa, and seeing the response from the locals... the Ghanains must be absolutely ecstatic with the way they have played.
Cote D'Ivoire managed a win in the group stage in the world cup but didnt make it through to the second round. They were in the final of the African Cup of Nations losing a penalty shootout to Egypt.
so it all brings back memories
hope everyone is well
andy

An African Conclusion Part Three

My week in hospital was, well, relaxing at times, at others not so relaxing.
That was when i would wake up having an axiety attack as a reaction from Mefloquine intially used to treat the malaria when i was in Banfora. The clinic was clean and some of the staff friendly. One nurse on nightshift wasn't though which didn't help my anxiety. I felt i was about to burst at one point.
My new american friend came and visited me as did a couple of other i had met, and they found i had an infection on top of the malaria and began to treat that as well. a week on a drip = fun fun fun.
Eventually i was let out told i was totally better. The stomach was still very delicate though, but at least i was able to eat now. I had dropped some twelve kilos since i left Australia (and ive only put four on since which im happy about).
The person i met from the US took me in and i stayed with her and her husband, they are missionaries and really nice warm friendly people. I was lucky again. Eating wasn't so great, but i got to visit the 'American Club' where lots of ex pats visit for a good meal.
I sorted out a flight to Paris but couldnt book online paris to melbourne as the connection was too darn slow. I decided to go to Paris and see what happens from there to go home.
I went shopping too and bought some material, but i was quite exhausted and returned back to the house.
I started to get my belongings together - i had booked a flight out that night!!!!!

and yet again to be continued...

An African Conclusion Part Two

So yes continuing on..... how is everyone by the way?? hope you're all well!

After a night where i woke up at 3am having a huge panic attack then being sick i concluded that the drugs given to me for the stomach pains may not be great. I was learning the hard way about African medicine. SO much fun.
Well, i woke up early that morning at about 7am and couldn't sleep. There was an early bus at some point back to Ouagadougou and i was determined to make it. I dragged myself back to the bus station again and hopped on a big, comfortable airconditioned bus, the likes of which i hadn't seen yet in Africa.
I also met a nice American lady who had incidently been at the restaurant i was at the previous evening. She's living in Burkina Faso and must have been sent by God to save me from this experience i was having... finally a little support had arrived. Thanks again!
Well that bus journey was hell.. truly as bad as i could have imagined. I had anxiety and a sick stomach and it just took forever. I had my Ipod on me which helped a little, but i still don't know how i survived.
Well i had been trying to choose between just flying to Europe or getting medical help, and with my new friend i chose the latter.
I went to a medical clinic that sees westerners frequently and spoke with a doctor who actually speaks English. Quite a relief!
Before i knew it though, he was admitting me into hospital, they were taking loads of blood from me and it looked like i would be there for quite some time. He believed i still had malaria and perhaps some other problem. I had a bed though in a room with another guy who was from Cote D'Ivoire, and also had an air conditioner. So wasn't too bad.
My hospital stay had begun...

An African Conclusion Part One

Well this is a turn up for the books isn't it??? It sure bloody is.. a post after... well god it's so long i won't measure time.
So what the hell did happen to me??
What I am planning to do on this blog, is over the next week or two complete the story of my Africa adventure in little pieces.... then who knows. I guess some more photos can be uploaded, i can talk about other travel experiences and what I am up to....
For instance, I am trying to write me a book about my travels in 2004. If only I knew something about writing and publishing a book.... anyways -

Well, last time you joined us I believe i was in Bobo-Diolasso, a rather hot city in Burkina Faso. I am at home now, so a lot has gone on since then.
Well those days were rather dark. I hopped on a bus one day in February and was on my way to the next country, Mali. Fifteen minutes into the journey though I was feeling awfully sick. The bus stopped at a police check point, and I pulled the pin on the journey and decided to return to Bobo. I was helped onto a bush taxi like affair and bundled back to my hotel where the room had just been cleaned and I checked in again.
Then things got really bad. I have had a bad experience with Mefloquine before, also known as Larium. The doctor in Banfora has prescribed it to me to fight the Malaria, and being in a delirious state with fever i didn't even notice what i was taking, and once I did notice, well, I figured I should keep taking it as Malaria is a fucking serious sort of disease. Well this was the day I started to pay for taking the Mefloquine. I had a serious and lasting anxiety attack.
I didn't know where to turn. I spent time mindlessly using the internet and sending emails to my parents. There were some Aussies who had arrived at my hotel and I asked for help, but they really seemed freaked out by me, or didn't want me to cut into their group.
I stayed there for a couple more days, and decided I was going to get out of Africa and get to Europe. A nice guy I met at the internet cafe took me to see his brother who was a Doctor. I was at the point where i had a searing pain in my stomach, and swallowing even water was really hard for me. This coupled with nausia and anxiety was not a good combination. And I was still getting really hot at night as the fever hadn't died down.
The Doctor didn't really examine me, he listened to my story translated in French by my freind known as 'Web'. He said I still had the malaria, and prescribed something for that (not Mefloquine) and something for the stomach he thought was from the malaria also.
I struggled to eat half of my dinner that night, whilst an American couple talked to some others who had just arrived here on another table. I had bought my ticket back to Ouagadougou for the next morning, and I went off to bed, hoping for some sort of sleep....

TO BE CONTINUED.

oh i can't be fçàé£d with a title

well
im feeling so so folks.... not sure if ill move on tomorrow or not, will wait and see how and if i sleep. Walked around the city of Bobo-Dioulasso today until I couldnt anymore and just collapsed in bed. Read a bit too. Pity I'm not 100 per cent as I'd have to say that this is the nicest city I've been to on the trip. Lots of trees, a great mud-sahlien style mosque, even a small but interesting museum. The museums in West Africa that I've seen have been pretty good. Just very under patronised.

There's a curious thing around Burkina Faso though, especially in Banfora but also here to a smaller extent. The kids mainly refer to whites as 'Les blanches' which is, white in French. But they say it at you as you walk past.... Why and with what motive I'm not sure. It's very unsettling after a while... I already knew I was white. And these places have plenty of expats and a few tourists, actually more here than I've seen in any other country which is surprising.

Then there's guides. You don't really need one, and the information they give you is well.... obvious anyways. I just had one follow me 500 metres down the street to this internet cafe. I said kindly I wasn't interested, explained I was leaving tomorrow, and still he hung around the door after I was inside. People don't take no for an answer and it gets exhausting. Then you have to balance it out with the poverty here. But those that seem really poor don't hassle you, and i generally give a few francs to.
Oh well, guess I won't be in Africa much longer, and they'll be some serious reflecting to do.......

38.7 degrees

no that was not the outside temperature, that was my temperature. I know i havent posted in a while, ive been in hospital with (probably) malaria. a few days back the temperature begin to rise and a fever set in. I was in Banfora, where id taken an interesting tour earlier in the day with little clue as to what was coming next.
So anyways i was given some medication, and had a pretty dreadful night of little sleep. I wenr back for tests the next day and they came negative, but with the fever the doctors seemed sure it was malaria. I got so weak i could sit anymore with fever, and before i knew it I was on a bed.
It was pretty grim as hospitals go. The doctors dont seem to have those armstraps when taking injections and attaching drips, so they tied a rubber glove around my right arm and proceded to miss the vein altogether which rather smarted.
He returned with a light and with help of another PATIENT he got it right. Later in the evening another doctor managed to break two syringes (one not even out of the packet) and add the wrong mixture to the saline drip and had to trhow it out. Im not sure what was worse - the malaria or the hospital treatment. Then they locked the toilet during the night. Well that was pretty grim too....
oh well
so been recovering and moved on to Bobo Diolasso not sure if ill be heading to europe really soon or what just yet;... wont be much more than a week away though.

Time for some more photos

Hello everyone. Well; having a bit of an easy sickie here in Ougadougou right now, hopefully should be right to move on tomorrow, so thought I'd upload a few more images as, well, it has been ages. This first one is a street scene just outside the Grand Marche in Niamey, Niger.
This is the Grand Mosque in Agadez, right in the middle of nowhere. I've met plenty of people going further into the desert mind you, but I reckon this is as remote as I'm getting. This trip at least. And yes, it is a bit, isn't it??
Ahhhh, Monsieur Camel I presume? These placid camels are at the animal market, Agadez, Niger.

I feel compelled to make interesting comments such as : 'Three heads are better than one?' A Voodoo statue on the Slave Route to the sea, Ouidah, Benin.

This one is from Lome, Togo where some kids were playing football in the centre of town. No, there isn't a lot of grass.The stilit village of Ganvie, Benin.Lome, Togo. Situated on a lovely looking (but apparently somewhat dangerous) beach. Well; hope they've been, well, liked....

Push Pineapple

Yesterday I arrived in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. A marathon journey had preceded the arrival, two days ago I left Agadez for Niamey at 7am in the morning, arriving twelve hours later. Then I 'slept' at the bus station and caught a 6am departure for Ouagadougou which got in at 2.30pm. So that was a lot of travelling for me.
Well; I was happy to leave Niger. Here the poverty is not nearly as obvious and people are generally friendly. The hassles appear to come from people trying to sell you things.
I have been tryng to work out if it's a government initiative in the whole region which has people out in the streets with lots of various goods to sell to anyone who walks or drives by. This includes shirts; clothes, shoes; sandles, medical tablets (I never knew there were so many brands of paracetamol in the world!!) perfume, and recharge cards for mobile phones. Yes, the mobile revolution is huge in West Africa!! Lots of people have them; seems to be far cheaper than the land lines.
Ouaga is much more laid out than other cities I visited, and laid back as well. It has a friendly vibe and is nice to walk around, found a place with half decent pizza as well...mmMMMMmmm pizza. Yes I seem to be having a better time now. But I'm off to a new town tomorrow. I get my Senegalaise visa this afternoon (touch wood) which is the last one I need and I'll be off to Banfora where I aim to relax for a couple of days, hire a mobylette and see the surrounding area....

A way away

Well a post has disappeared.... It wouldn't save a few days ago and now it's gone....
I noticed In Niamey all of a sudden how poor the place really was. In fact I suddenly realised that it was the poorest place I've ever been in my life. Perhaps when I left Australia I was prepared all ways but mentally. But in Niamey suddenly I was being followed everywhere by children asking for money, which I didn't really notice on the first day.
I had someone steal my mobile, but I got it back, on my second day in Niamey. There is famine here in Niger, and perhaps the city is overcrowded with people and beggars because of it. It has wide boulevards and nice buildings too.... but the poverty is inescapable.
The museum was rather small, and attached to the zoo. The animals were in resonalble condition I must admit, but their cages were generally far too small. Four vultures in a cage the size of my old backyard avairy says it all.
Then I fell sick and had made an amazing friend who lives in Niamey. I stayed with him a couple of nights before moving on here to Agadez. An amazing town almost exclusively mudbrick, not quite in the middle of the desert but not far from it. Over 900 km from Niamey, I am almost in the middle of the fat bit of Africa.
I visited an animal market with beaucoup de camels, there is an amazing mudbrick mosque in the centre of town, the steets are sandy and it has a wild frontier feel to it. I am heading back to Niamey tomorrow and onto a new country (Burkina Faso) on Thursday. Niger has certainly left a huge imprint on me, more than any country this trip.... not sure what it is yet...

comments for all!!

hey everyone
a quick one to let you know i changed the settings and you should be able to comment without a blog. THANKS GREIG!

A long trek Indeed

Back again. I have just completed two days of travel and I can tell you all that I`m a little bit hacked. Of course that may not surprise.
How can I describe the last two days?? Well I learnt one thing - time is a relative thing here in Africa, no-one seems to care about delays, the only time people move fast is actually on the road. I took the train to Parakou. It was no deluxe train, but it is the most comfortable transport I have had. It was due to leave at 8.30 AM, and left just after nine. Fine, not too bad. Half an hour of waiting is NOTHING. The coach was full of colour and frienly people chatting away the whole journey, yes it was quite fun. Outside remained green all the way; though there were lots of undergrowth fires for some reason. Controlled burning I believe.
People sold things at every little station, mostly off the top of their heads. However the scheduled arrival time of 5.25 was not met. We arrived just before 9PM, after scrambling some diary i tried to sleep.
The next day bang! up before 7, quick shower and at the share taxi station by 7.30AM. There was a taxi for Malanville at the ready. However it doesn't leave until it's full, which was around 10.30AM. I was told 4 hours. Five and a half later we are at Malanville, my right leg almost dead from cramp. The road was bad at first, but improved for the second half of the journey was much better, though I was the smallest of four in the back and was never comfortable.
At the border there were no problems, it was a pretty scene over a river, one border post at each end of the bridge. I was in Niger!! Tired and hungry but I had made it!
A moto took me to the taxi station there, a bus to the capital (mini bus) was waiting and half full!! I was sure we'd be away within the hour. More waiting ensued, three hours later we transfered to another mini bus, still at the same place and by 7PM we were on our way. Five minutes later we stopped for prayer. Ten minutes later on our way. Fifteen minutes later we stopped to help another minibus with a flat, ten minutes finally moving towards Niamey. All day I revised my expected arrival time. I left hopeful of 6PM, It kept getting later and later..
12.30 in the morning the next day We pulled into Niamey, I took a taxi to a hotel and fell asleep. Whats amazing is the way that almost noone gets annoyed at the constant delays, the police checks; people demanding to stop for food, the cows in the middle of the road, the hideous music... everyone seems to enjoy themselves. I was as tired as could be, but I accepted it... besides the frequent stops meant I could stretch my leg that was quite cramped....
Now I am in Niamey; already been to the Mali embassy where I will pick my visa up tomorrow. The weather is hot but dry which makes such a difference. The city is quite plesant, nicest so far with wide boulevards. Big place bit not so many people.... had a hamburger for lunch, my first proper meal since I left Cotonou....

A long trek Indeed

Back again. I have just completed two days of travel and I can tell you all that I`m a little bit hacked. Of course that may not surprise.
How can I describe the last two days?? Well I learnt one thing - time is a relative thing here in Africa, no-one seems to care about delays, the only time people move fast is actually on the road. I took the train to Parakou. It was no deluxe train, but it is the most comfortable transport I have had. It was due to leave at 8.30 AM, and left just after nine. Fine, not too bad. Half an hour of waiting is NOTHING. The coach was full of colour and frienly people chatting away the whole journey, yes it was quite fun. Outside remained green all the way; though there were lots of undergrowth fires for some reason. Controlled burning I believe.
People sold things at every little station, mostly off the top of their heads. However the scheduled arrival time of 5.25 was not met. We arrived just before 9PM, after scrambling some diary i tried to sleep.
The next day bang! up before 7, quick shower and at the share taxi station by 7.30AM. There was a taxi for Malanville at the ready. However it doesn't leave until it's full, which was around 10.30AM. I was told 4 hours. Five and a half later we are at Malanville, my right leg almost dead from cramp. The road was bad at first, but improved for the second half of the journey was much better, though I was the smallest of four in the back and was never comfortable.
At the border there were no problems, it was a pretty scene over a river, one border post at each end of the bridge. I was in Niger!! Tired and hungry but I had made it!
A moto took me to the taxi station there, a bus to the capital (mini bus) was waiting and half full!! I was sure we'd be away within the hour. More waiting ensued, three hours later we transfered to another mini bus, still at the same place and by 7PM we were on our way. Five minutes later we stopped for prayer. Ten minutes later on our way. Fifteen minutes later we stopped to help another minibus with a flat, ten minutes finally moving towards Niamey. All day I revised my expected arrival time. I left hopeful of 6PM, It kept getting later and later..
12.30 in the morning the next day We pulled into Niamey, I took a taxi to a hotel and fell asleep. Whats amazing is the way that almost noone gets annoyed at the constant delays, the police checks; people demanding to stop for food, the cows in the middle of the road, the hideous music... everyone seems to enjoy themselves. I was as tired as could be, but I accepted it... besides the frequent stops meant I could stretch my leg that was quite cramped....
Now I am in Niamey; already been to the Mali embassy where I will pick my visa up tomorrow. The weather is hot but dry which makes such a difference. The city is quite plesant, nicest so far with wide boulevards. Big place bit not so many people.... had a hamburger for lunch, my first proper meal since I left Cotonou....

spreading the guilt around

well im feeling like shit
today i went out to this village on stilts out in the middle of a lagoon called Ganvie around 20 kilometres from Cotonou. You get charged around fifteen Australian dollars to get taken around in a pirogue, which is a rather high price. No-one in the village is even vaguely hapy to see you... well hello! apparently their lives are a tourist attraction. But the people sailing and paddling the boat were nice.
I was hot, a little sunburnt and feeling a little ripped off so when I got off the boat I ignored the calls for a `cadeux`and just walked away. But those guys, I expect, don`t get a tenth of what I paid (neither, i expect, does Ganvie itself) someone else pockets most of it. I just shook the receipt saying i already paid and didnt look back. What an arsehole. And now Im using this blog to try and disperse my guilt. sigh. will resist the urge to publish several swear words.
Tomorrow its a train to Parakou, then bush taxi the next day to Niger.

Snakes alive...

hey everyone
I just lost my post so here goes. Again. Yesterday took share taxi from Lome to Cotonou, Benin. If you are interested in these countries I thoroughly recommend the destination guide at www.lonelyplanet.com
Anyways I have a damn nice room which I am pretty happy about, but I was even more happy to have lived through the taxi ride. Firstly i have to share the back seat with a girl and a man who took up half the back seat by himself. He then insisted on closing his window making breathing even harder, and seating even easier. The window was kinda broken, and an electric one, so the driver (who was involved in a shouting match with this man) pulled over in the middle of nowhere and some men fixed a battery up to the switch and the window whirred up. of course it didnt open again.
Passing at breakneck speed featured highly in this journey, and was not an easy feeling. Especially when we passed an accident scene where a van was completely crumpled. The man said ìts thank god everyday you survive on this road`or something to that effect.
We had two power outtages lasting a total of two hours last night, and today i visited Ouidah, where the history revolves both around slavery and voodoo. The museum was very interesting, one guy even spoke English. Barely coping with all the French here. Anyways, travel is on the back of a motorcycle here, and the drivers we had around town kept trying to up the price after it was agreed apon. This is often very exhausting, especially with no set prices.
The beach, where the slaves left from, is actually quite beautiful. Statues in the voodoo tradition line the road out to it.
Back in town is the python temple, where you get a very short tour and have to pay three times as much to take photographs. So you won`t see a picture with me holding a python round my neck (I was assured the teeth had been removed) so you`ll have to take my word that it happened.....

onto Togo....

Well,
here I am in a new country Togo. If you are wondering it is a tiny slither of a country between Ghana and Benin, where I am heading tomorrow. Actually I dont mind it here, its actually quite pleasant, the rooms not too bad, the French speaking is taking a bit of getting used to but not as much as this darn keyboard, its all over the place. No idea how to do an apostrophe!!
The ride over from Accra was quite smooth, though the tro tro went to fast for my liking but at least half the road was in excellent condition. Border crossing was fine, had a nice Ghanian help me out and the supermarkets here are tres bon. In comparison that is. Lome is a small city situated right on the coast giving a refreshing afternoon seabreeze. Its more colonial in style than Accra, and generally has more style period I think. Yes, I like the place. Not a lot to see and do though and tmorrow I travel to Cotonou in Benin which is supposed to be crazy, but with some interesting day trips.
The final night in Accra was hell. The electricity died at about one thirty AM so my fan stopped whirring as it does. I had the room with one window less than a foot away from a concrete fence so there was no ventilation. Sleep was soon impossible. The electricity was still off when I left before 9am to Togo.
Still I survived yesterday. There are lovely palm trees along the beach and one might be fooled into believing this is a tropical paradise on the strength of photos, but the beaches are reportedly a little dangerous; especially at night.
People still try to sell you the same crap off the street as in Accra, however its Monsieur! and Mon Ami that they call out. Some of the building are surprisingly post modern here, theres plenty of air con... its a different place.

Last day in Ghana, so some pics at last!

Well here they are finally, a few pics for everyone to enjoy!!! The first is one of the wonderful waterways of Accra... trying to capture the bad side of the city but don't know that I did. Actually not starting to mind this city, getting the hang of 'public transport', had roast chicken last night that didn't make me sick.. what can I say?? Just went to the Memorial park for Ghana's first Prime Minister - Ghana was the first African Nation to gain independence from their colonial occupiers so he's quite the hero here!!

Second pic is the fishing village of Elmina, the thrid (clockwise from top left) is the fort at Elmina, St George's fort, mostly in Dutch hands, the final is the 30 metre high walkway in Kakum National Park. Getting the pics on has been quite the effort!!

Tomorrow I'm off to Togo, barring bad things happening, for a short stop on the way to Benin. Niger looks likely at the moment. Yesterday visited the fine museum in Accra which displayed cloths - the patterns meaning a different quote. One read something like 'If you have more than your neighbour, he hates you...'

Thinking Music Please

well
Accra has quickly gone up with delhi as one of the more oppressive cities i found to travel in, but like Delhi in 2004 seems i cant get away just yet. My 'visa touriste entente' for many countries isn't valid until the 26th so i have a couple more days here... so today's plan is to go back to the Date Hotel and update the diary and read some of the Order of the Pheonix with a plan to finish the book before it's out on film. Well it is a really long book. For a Harry Potter.

I've been wanting to write some sort of reflective piece for this blog for a couple of days. I even considered drafting it but then.... I didn't. It's very bizarre finally getting to Africa and finding myself reacting the way I have. Now the peanut allergy, for sure, has had a HUGE impact. For starters my diet has been well.. very limited out of paranoia. I have definately dropped a few kilos not from sickness, just have been eating not nearly as much as I am used. Bananas, bread and cheese, (bought a slice of ham today for around AUD 1.2o! can't wait to slip it into a roll) occasionally rice or pasta have been the diet. Did I mention I bought this very heavy electric stove? Still unused. But expect to use it when i am starving.... So the new route I'm taking is designed to keep me close (ish) to supermarkets.
I met an Australian last night and for some three hours we chatted about the region (he's sorta done my trip in reverse), cricket and tennis (Go Maria Sharapova!!!). Seems silly but thats what we chatted about and it was so nice to talk to an Aussie again. Only the second I've met here and the first lived her first 12 years in Canada. Travellers here are not that plentiful. The hotel has quite a few Nigerians, and there are a lot of Dutch roaming the country. But this isn'tike India or South East Asia in that respect, you do a lot of stuff on your own.
As you can tell with my frequent posting I've spent a fair bit of time on the internet. It's a bit of a haven really and I don't feel quite so isolated. Perhaps I'm not dealing with the stark reality outside the door, or maybe i just enjoy the air conditioning. It's really a situation where MOST Ghanians who talk to you in the street are after money from you. As a white person you are seen as a sign of wealth/money more than anywhere I've been.
Kids with the sheets have clearly been told to go up to foreigners and ask for money for their football club (You sign the sheet). The lack of actual shops means that a lot of stuff is just sold on the street, including Ghanian football guernseys (the African Nations Cup has justed started so everyone is keenly into that). The humidity is quite stifling though, but once I finally move north that will change. It will get hotter too, but a dry heat that will be easier to live with.
The (mostly) open sewers run along the side of the roads, also filled with rubbish as rubbish bins seem to be a rarity. Getting off the plane just over a week ago and into a taxi, whilst driving into town i had a beggar come up to me, i also had the same yesterday morning however that's been the only times. Generally the homeless seem to tired to beg.
Myself, with the humidity and lack of eating I feel tired quite a bit, especially today, but at least i can return to my hotel or fly out if i suddenly want to. And yet a great deal of the population are genuiunely friendly too. The tro tros are a bit of fun as well, when taking them around town. (less so over longer distances)
So there's a bit of thoughtfulness if anyone is reading. I know at least three people are thanks for commenting!!!! Still have to decide on Niger... also will TRY to get some photos up before leaving Ghana, if time permits and I can find a good place to do it!!!!

Tro tro troing

A tro tro is like a cramped mini bus that seats five people across and is as uncomfortable as possible. I journied back to Accra today in one of them and survived... wasnt all that bad really!!! Life goes on, Should be heading to Togo on Tuesday all going well touch wood...
yesterday i did a day trip to a place called Elmina, a delightful little fishing town (wish i could put some pics up for everyone) only 10 kms from Cape Coast where I spent the last four nights. There is another fort there, this one seemed bigger and had a better tour, and the whole place was really kind of nice.
Coming back to Accra i found myself not loathing it as much as last time. Maybe it's cos it's Sunday, or I know I'm only here to see the museum, get set and push on I'm not too sure.......

cape coast musings

well everyone
i have been really struggling here, feeling good one day and bad the next. thinking of getting out of africa, well i was yesterday, but now im thinking i still want to make it to Dakar some how, looks like ill try an abridged itinerary... though i havent exactly published it to anyone so you may not know the difference.
Going to try to get to Dakar by mid february now, not going to Niger.
anyways ive been in Cape Coast the last few days which is a much nicer place than Accra. Yesterday I took a day trip out to Kakum National Park which is set in a beautiful rain forest, and has a suspended walkway 30 metres above the forest floor. This has 7 sections, mostly around 50 metres long each. It's held up by cables which seem strong enough, however the mesh than holds rusty ladders with planks of wood on top seem anything but safe. This was very hairy, and my fear of heights did not help.
Today I'm off to Elmina for another day trip, where these is a caste/fort where slaves where shipped off to the new world from. I saw something similar here in Cape Coast a couple of days back... an eerie feeling indeed, and the waves truly crashed hard onto the rocks just outside the fort like i've never heard.... no idea how they sent ships through that. A ship out to sea struggled (lots of fishing ships) with its sail and mast which collapsed but i think they made it back alive....

A dose of stark reality

well okay everyone
here's a proper post from Ghana where the internet is frustrating at best. anyways I am into my fourth African day and i thought I'd be nice and honest (as well as not bothering to capitalise at points) and tell you boy has it been a tough slog. Apart from my severe peanut paranoia preventing me from trying, well, cooked food (boy have i had a few bananas), I have, for the first time since i hit India in 1999, really found things tough.
Accra is not a pretty city. Nor is it cool. Booking a bus ticket is a task in itself. One things Ghana seems to have going for it is that taxis are extremely frequent. But my room was grungy at best, i shared with a big spider... The heat and more to the point humidity is so oppresive. Fine when a breeze comes through, but when its still Oi vay!
I have just found it tough. I've actually met heaps of Ghanains who deserve their friendly reputation. I had to walk far too much which didn't help as i'm not eating nearly as much as normal. But despite the room quality I have slept a hell of a lot with three early nights.
I managed to get a visa which includes four of the french african countries I'll be visiting in around two hours from the Togolese embassy which was surprisingly efficient. And yesterday I was taken into Makola market by a very kind lady condsidering herself to be my Ghanain mother. I spent half the day sweating and playing Ludo.
I took the bus today to Cape Coast. As if booking the ticket wasn't hard enough, the bus left and hour and a half late. No airconditioning on this one and the road was EXCELLENT in places... and dreadful in others.
But my guest house here is cheaper and far nicer than the one in Accra, and the town is smaller and less crazy. The markets in Accra have to be seen to be believed.... so many people everywhere. whew!!!
and anyways..... whilst there is greenery everywhere, the poverty is almost as in your face as India or Bangladesh, and there are less structures. But the people so far make up for it. But i would be kidding if i didn't day I am finding life here a little incomprehensible.....
but i thought it might be more interesting to be honest rather than la la la this place is fun 24/7. After all it was my choice to come here.....

Ghanain arrival

well, im tired as all buggery. I've finally hit sub-saharan africa here. I had a long long journey from hell but finally we touched down in Accra, capital of Ghana a few hours ago, got my self settled into a pretty divey sort of hotel, ate a pizza and at 5.30 am ready for sleep. well, in KL it is 1.30am and in melbourne 4.30. so yeah. there you go.
what else is there to tell you? not much. its an interesting place i guess yeah.will post more when ive slept some
take care

monsoonal karaoke

Hey everyone
i've been trying to post with a different log in name which is very strange because it says that I have a different blog that i used in 2003 - however i have no recollection of this blog. But it signs in as my name so it is very strange. even with my password...... weird hey??
Anyways. Yes, the trip is under way. Its a warm morning in Singapore... I arrived a couple of days back and was greeted almost straight away by 24 hours of monsoonal rains. Interesting way to start off the trip.
Haven't done a hell of a lot since arriving apart from struggling to sleep, and some karaoke. I certainly have been getting down and jiggy with it so far on this trip. Tiger beer is gooooood :)
Found a nice little pub/karaoke place in Chinatown where me and a couple of friend became very popular straight away. We had a blast really!!!
Chinese New Year is the 29th of January I have been reliably informed but the celebrations have already started in earnest around here, Chinatown has decorations galore and laser light displays.
Anyways, today i take a long bus journey up to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia where i catch a flight to Accra Ghana, where the real adventure begins.
stay tuned....